Have you evaluated your marketing strategies for social media in 2019? If not, you are not alone. The fact is that 2018 was a hectic year, especially with all the issues swirling around Facebook. Regardless, some brands took bold steps, launching socially conscious and sometimes controversial campaigns.

Regardless, it is time to update your strategies for social media, incorporating the latest trends. In this article, we are reviewing the top trends and shifts based on our internal data and insights.

1. Increase Audio and Video Content - Generally speaking, online users are spending dramatically more time watching videos and listening to podcasts than engaging with written content. Of course, this trend is impacting different industries and markets at different levels. Nevertheless, audio and video are dominating social media.

2. Begin Marketing in the Now - Facebook, YouTube, and other platforms are rewarding brands that live-stream with increased organic reach. The big trend marketers have known about for years is being seen as authentic. Live video is a way to highlight the people behind your brand, becoming more authentic and personal.

3. Become Responsive - Consumers and potential customers have an expectation that they can reach out to brand on social media. As a result, they will go visit a social channel to ask questions before a website or dialing a phone number. It is critical to check your Facebook Inbox and Twitter Direct Messages regularly and respond in a timely manner.

4. Evaluate Your Data - Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other social platforms are providing a treasure trove of data to measure your impact and success. Take the time to look closely and analyze your data. You will discover which posts attract the most views and engagement, new followers, and website visitors.

Strategies for social media in 2019 must line up with your overall marketing strategy and also be measured against your overall business performance. That said, effective utilizing social media is necessary for long-term success and attracting new customers.

If you're a business, then you already know that getting onto social media is one of the smartest things you can do. It gives you the potential to reach millions of eyes, it takes a relatively small amount of time, and best of all it's free! With that said, though, it's important to ask which social media site (or sites, if you have the time and energy to build up multiple platforms) is right for you?

Unfortunately there is no one, right answer to that question. But there are some questions you can ask to narrow the field, and to figure out which platform is best for you, and your business.

Question #1: Who Is Your Target Audience?

The first thing you need to ask is who is your target audience, and where are you most likely to reach them?

As a for instance, say you are primarily marketing yourself to other businesses, or to professionals. The best platform to reach the people who will be interested in picking up what you're laying down is likely LinkedIn, even if other social media websites may be more popular, or larger in scope. As WP Curve points out, if you only have the resources to build up a single social media platform then it's better to focus on your sights in a place where you'll get more engagement, even if it is from a smaller population.

Question #2: What Kind of Content Will You Be Sharing?

While you can share all kinds of content on all kinds of social media sites, the sort of content you'll be sharing most will affect your chances of success.

For example, is your business very visual? If you're going to be primarily sharing pictures, then you might find more success on Instagram or Pinterest than you would on Facebook, even though Facebook will let you post images as surely as anything else. On the other hand, if you're going to be making videos then it's important to ask if YouTube or Vimeo will serve you better, even though such sites may not be strictly considered social media by some people's definition. The purpose of the site you're on, and how well that meshes with your goals and what you'll be providing can make a huge difference, as Vertical Response tells us.

Question #3: Which Is Most Visible?

While it might seem like it contradicts the first question, it is important to consider the sheer size and connectivity of the social media site you're planning on using, in addition to the interaction you can get from it, according to Medium.

As an example, compare MeWe with Facebook. Both of these sites allow you to join themed groups, post content, and to reach other users organically. However, Facebook is by far the larger of these two options, with bigger tools, more groups, and additional options. While MeWe may still provide you with engagement, and allow you to reach people who are interested in the products or services you're providing, it simply can't compete with Facebook in terms of ROI. Additionally, because of Facebook's sheer size and track record, it's a website that everyone knows about. While it's possible some folks may be aware of MeWe (largely due to Google + shutting down and the groups there looking for a new home to migrate to), it simply isn't going to be as well known.

Sometimes it's a good example to join the social media sites that are the most popular, precisely because they're the ones everyone knows and uses. That means they'll be the first places someone goes looking for your page. For more information on finding the right social media platform for you and your business, simply contact us today!

Getting started with social media marketing shouldn't be confusing or difficult. It's all about how you approach it, how much work and time you are willing to put into it, and what your final goal is. These tips will help you gain control of your social media profiles and amp up your engagement.

Have a plan. Nobody walks into a challenge without a plan. If you have your own business, more than likely you drew out a business plan to outline exactly what your goals are and where you want to end up. It's the same with social media. While each platform is different in their own way, you'll still need a good strategy to pull in potential leads.

Know your audience. This ties into the previous tip; based on your goals, who is your audience? For example, if you own a salon or spa, gear your services towards those who are interested in the beauty industry. Make sure that your social media platforms are advertised properly for whatever industry you are in; do research and pay attention to what people want.

Once you begin building that relationship with other people, your audience will grow and eventually you will get leads.

Choose your main platform. Most businesses have more than one social media platform, but it's always wise to use one as your main strategy. The most popular one is Facebook; you can create a page for your business or website, go live to talk about what's happening, and you can create engagement by sharing your posts on other feeds.

Choosing your platform will again depend on your specific goals and final outcome. Local and large businesses tend to use Facebook and LinkedIn. Twitter and Instagram are great if you're just starting out and want to test the waters.

If you need help building a social media strategy, feel free to contact us today.

Business survival is incredibly dependent on the power of social media in today's digital time. Keeping up the balance of small business growth and social media marketing can often be a tough challenge, but it can make all the difference. The right social media marketing strategy can catapult your business to new heights, and really help you gain the right exposure.

If balancing social media marketing with your other responsibilities is getting tough, why not outsource it? The right social media marketing agency is able to revamp your strategy, help you target growth, and really work with you to make your small business successful.

When choosing a social media marketing agency, here are three top considerations to keep in mind during the evaluation process:

1) Can they show impact?

During the evaluation process, impact reigns supreme. For each agency you are considering, ask them about their results. They should be more than happy to point you towards case studies, references, and other resources that show their impact.

Agencies that shy away from this, or do not seem willing to show you their results are probably not the best fit. If they cannot promote themselves well, how will they promote your business?

2) Do they understand the right medium for your business?

No business is the same, and having a one-size-fits-all strategy in place will not yield the right results. Look for agencies that understand your business (or are willing to learn more) andwhat the right fit is for you.

Some businesses are better suited to an Instagram-focused marketing campaign, while others will do better on Twitter. Is the agency able to explain their choices, and articulate what the best fit is for your unique business? If so, they are the right fit.

3) Do they have the right technology?

Social media marketing is continually changing, and agencies need to be dedicated to understanding these changes and navigating them well. Do not be afraid to ask what sort of technologies and systems they have in place for social media marketing, how they implement their strategy, as well as how updated they are in terms of latest development from these platforms.

Social media marketing is all about timeliness, and your agency must ensure that they are able to adapt quickly to new situations.

We pride our reputation on ensuring that all three of these considerations are met and that each client is able to scale their business using social media marketing. Our experience and dedication mean that each client gets tailored advice that is hyper-focused on driving long-term success, so contact us today to learn more.

Whether you love or hate it, social media is here to stay and it's on the rise. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are just a few of the more popular social media platforms that have changed the way we communicate and connect with people everywhere. Although social media has been around for years now, businesses still are just beginning to fully grasp the power of it and realize how much these platforms could potentially help them grow and connect with potential customers unlike ever before.

Even if you don't have a Facebook account or you've never watched a YouTube video, you're most likely aware of what each platform is about. For anyone who isn't aware, social media is a method of networking and sharing content (videos, photos, etc) on the internet. Anyone can set up an account, complete their profile, add a picture and start connecting with old friends (or new ones) just with the click of a mouse. Since millions of people continue to connect on these platforms, businesses have followed suit and continue to create and maintain a presence where their customers are, utilizing various social media marketing tactics. Business and marketing both have forever changed due to this increasing trend.

SOCIAL MEDIA BASICS

You can separate the different types of social media into categories based on the different characteristics of how each platform is used and the types of content shared on each. Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr tend to be used for sharing somewhat more personal content, similar to blogs, although each can also be used for business marketing purposes. YouTube and Vimeo are used to store and distribute video content directly or shared to other social platforms with a link back. Pinterest and Instagram mainly focus on sharing visuals/photos and can also be a great way to link to other social platforms. LinkedIn is unique in that it specifically is geared towards career and business-related content.

There are new types and platforms of social media introduced every day, while at the same time once popular platforms lose popularity with the public. Regardless of the platform, the overall concept of social media marketing can change the game for you and your business if effectively executed.

BENEFITS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

For those just starting out with social media marketing, you will be shocked at how it can cost nothing to execute while simultaneously effectively boosting your traffic and sales metrics. Using social media is a very simple way to get people talking about your business and what it is you do. Word of mouth advertising and buzz can happen in a matter of seconds without costing a dime or taking weeks and weeks. As a result, social media can drastically improve your ROI and build your business and brand awareness much faster than more traditional marketing methods.

These changes in marketing within the area of social media have made it much easier to keep customers engaged and updated regularly. Where print media formats sent through the mail used to take weeks and require a heavy monetary investment to distribute, social marketing material can be dispersed in seconds and cost pennies on the dollar to produce! Social media has changed the way businesses engage with their customers and resolve an issue that used to take days to fix. Now, they can be addressed within minutes on platforms like Twitter with 120 characters or less.

For entrepreneurs and new businesses, social media marketing can have tremendous results because you no longer need a ton of financial investments to get your name out to the public. You can build up a fan base with a minimal budget and have total control over the whole process. Getting your products and services out to your customers can be simple, due to the ease of distribution digitally.

Hopefully, you can now see the potential benefits in social media for your business's marketing strategy. The next step for you will be to dive into the specifics of each platform and find the one(s) best suited for your needs. Check out more social media strategy tips here.

As a small business owner, keeping up with the rapid changes in SEO and social media marketing can be overwhelming. Unfortunately, if you don't keep up with it, your company is likely to lose footing in a heavily saturated social media environment. Here are a few of the things that you should be aware of as you start to shift your marketing focus to the social media platform.

Maximize Your Mobile Efforts

With the intense schedules and busy lifestyles that most consumers lead now, mobile access has become the primary way that many people find businesses and products. Mobile sites are key for research, and social media platforms have become the go-to means for many consumers to stay in touch with their favorite brands and businesses. As a result, it is essential that your company's website is optimized for mobile access, or you have a site that's designed specifically for mobile users. Incorporating an app for smartphone users is also hugely beneficial for marketing. Further, make sure that anything you share on social media, including your photos and videos, is optimized for mobile users.

Use Social Media For Marketing

Living in a social media society means focusing some of your marketing efforts to those platforms. With so much consumer data being mined and stored by social media platforms, you have the ability to refine and target your ad campaigns to the precise customer base that you want to reach.

To do this successfully, start by assessing the demographics of your existing customer base, including those that interact with your social media profile. Use the business tools provided by each platform to determine what your target consumers are looking for. Then, you can build targeted advertisements for each sector of the audience.

Test New Campaigns Before They Launch

Avoid launching any marketing campaigns without testing them thoroughly. Few things cause greater frustration than responding to an ad campaign and finding out that the link the company used is no good.

In addition, thorough evaluation and testing will also help you catch any potentially overlooked problems with wording or perception in the images. Remember that viral social media posts are great for business, but not if they are going viral for the wrong reasons. Make sure everything is evaluated by an in-house team of multiple people before things go live.

For more help with your social media marketing and SEO efforts, contact us today.

Most companies realize that going digital is not just an option anymore; it's a necessity. No matter how small or big your business might be, you should have a website, blog and social media pages. And it's a good idea to keep updating these as much as you can, if you want to keep increasing traffic to your site. This in turn will help you to increase your customer base.

However, there's a certain problem that many companies have been seeing of late. Maybe you are getting a lot of traffic to your site but you're not getting that many new customers. There are many ways to solve this issue which fall under the general heading of conversion rate optimization. The idea is to convert viewers into buyers as much as possible. Here are some tips to help you do this:

Valuable Content

There are times when companies will just post blogs in order to improve their SEO. The more keywords they use, the more they'll show up in a variety of searches. And this means that more people will come to their website. However, if those people come to your website and find that your content is really not that interesting or useful, they're not going to stay on your website. They probably won't even read your article. They'll just move on to the next item that shows in their search.

So it's not a good idea to just keep posting content in order to attract visitors. You have to think long term. That's what a thought leader in the industry would do—post blogs and social media comments that are going to improve the lives of the people who read them. Don't just post filler content. And if this means that you have to read through everything yourself to make sure it meets your standards, then do so.

Aesthetics

Once you've made sure that your content is really great, you also have to think about aesthetics. You'd be surprised at how many people turn away from a website simply because they don't like the garish colors or they feel like it's too "busy." So stay away from garish colors and keep the layout simple.

You can still use bright colors, especially if you're in a creative field like fashion, but just use your judgment. You don't want to fade into the background by making your website too muted and too simple. But you don't want to stand out in an unseemly way. Go for a middle of the road approach.

The rapidly growing consumer interest in virtual reality makes it critical for forward-thinking marketers to seriously consider the technology today. According to Statista, the year 2018 should see the number of virtual reality users exceed 170 million globally. However, the failure to track VR performance using proper analytics may mean that brands incorporating the technology in their social media marketing campaigns are engaging in a wild goose chase, wasting their effort, time, and budget.

So, if you're using Facebook 360 to give your audience an immersive, interactive VR experience, it's imperative that you assess whether you're achieving your marketing objectives. Here are critical ways and tools you may use to track and evaluate your VR marketing efforts:

Heat Maps

Facebook introduced heat maps to enable creators to track how their 360-degree video content is being viewed. You can use the analytics tool to see the video frames receiving the most user attention. A heat map will show the parts of your proposed solution that are most engaging, helping identify areas that require improvement. With the accurate analysis, your social media marketing team may then dedicate more efforts and content to VR aspects that most users relate to well.

Tracking the Angle of View

The primary objective of deploying 360-degree videos in Facebook marketing is to let users look all around the content. In a VR ad, for example, you want to measure the degrees viewed, and to ascertain where your audience looked. Thankfully, the heat map feature helps track a specific user's scope of vision based on factors such as the angle of elevation or vision. It is possible to use the analysis and create an improved VR experience for your audience.

User Feedback

Do not forget to find out what your audience thinks about the 360-degree videos you publish on Facebook. Engage users and ask them about their favorite experiences with your promotions. You could send them questionnaires via email or SMS and learn more about their likes and dislikes. Feedback collection is a reliable way to measure engagement and gather consumer insights. Based on the feedback, you may create effective VR experiences, accurately target potential buyers, and track return on investment.

Facebook 360-degree videos are an ideal way for advertisers to offer potential customers a more engaging and immersive experience. However, it is imperative to use VR analytics and assess the quality of the user engagement created. Contact us today to learn more about the effective deployment of such social media marketing strategies.

Today, most millennials interact with various brands on social media at least once a month, and that is why many businesses have a presence on different social platforms. Your presence on social media is a step in the right direction, but it will take more than that to succeed in 2018. Going an extra mile to invest in effective social media marketing strategies and focusing on engagement are some of the aspects you will need to consider adopting.

Failure to invest in the right marketing strategy may cause your business to lose valuable clients. Here are three steps to creating a winning social media marketing strategy for this year.

Create Goals The first step towards establishing a strategy begins with identifying what you want to achieve in the end. Therefore, as you seek to create a social media marketing strategy, you need to come up with specific goals that will help you address your most significant challenges. Setting attainable goals, in this case, is very important because it will help you stick to the original plan even when circumstances change.

That way you are capable of taking on new challenges as you overcome old milestones. Also, opt for marketing channels that will help you attain your goals in the best way possible and do not complicate your strategy with numerous targets and objectives. Simplicity will yield better results. It is wise to document your goals as well because it increases the possibility of attaining them.

Research Your Social Media Audience Before you opt for a particular social media marketing channel, you need to establish the level of engagement of your target audience in each of the options available. Some of the things to focus on include the income level of your return clients, those who buy from you and the age group that is proving difficult to engage.

You can also use the social media dashboard, which provides an overview of your followers and their interaction with your brand on each marketing channel.

Identify Your Critical Metrics Monitoring the number of followers and likes on social platforms form part of the social media metrics that are important for your marketing strategy. However, information from both parameters may not tell you everything you need to know about your brand. Therefore, analyzing other metrics to get the whole story including reach, hashtag performance, clicks and live as well as paid likes is necessary.

If you need more information on steps to creating a winning social media marketing strategy,